*CFP* "MEDIA AND COMMUNICATION", FALL 2021 SPECIAL EDITION, THE JOURNAL OF ROMANIAN STUDIES

The Journal of Romanian Studies, a refereed, interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary publication of the Society for Romanian Studies (in collaboration with ibidem Press) is calling on academics from throughout the world to submit scholarly articles for its Fall 2021 special edition: Media and Communication

Submission can focus on any topic that touches on Romanian and/or Moldovan

• (traditional and/or digital) media, journalism, audiences, functions, roles and effects  
• press freedom 
• domestic or international disinformation, misinformation and propaganda 
• specialized media (sports, arts, entertainment, science, military, et al.) 
• (traditional and/or digital) media economics 
• (traditional and/or digital) media ethics 
• (traditional and/or digital) media and society 
• (traditional and/or digital) media and politics 
• (traditional and/or digital) media and international relations 
• public relations 
• advertising 
• comparative studies on any of the above themes

We are encouraging articles that approach the peculiarities of media and communication in Eastern Europe (with a focus on Romania and/or Moldova), as compared to the Western world or the rest of the world.

Particular themes for research articles to be published in this special issue of the Journal of Romanian Studies might include, but are not limited to:

• Russian-funded media for Romanian speaking audiences or Russian funded media/ messages consumed by Romanian and/ or Moldovan audiences. There is an intense debate worldwide on foreign influences on national audiences, through mass-media and through social media. Eastern Europe is, historically, at the borders between the Westerns world and Russia, and is still undergoing a recovering process, three decades after the fall of Communism. In some parts of the former URSS (Moldova included), Russian is widely known and used, and Russian media is consumed on a daily basis. Still, this is not the case with other countries from the former Communist bloc, or with the countries from the rest of the world, where foreign influence is identified in national languages, by think-tanks and commentators. Solid academic research on the consumption and the influence of Russian funded media in Romania and Moldova is, thus, highly needed.

• Organizational peculiarities in the area: micro-newsrooms that generate investigative report, in connection with mainstream newsrooms in the Western world; ethical pressures on advertising and public relations agencies, in the context of small, developing markets; troll farms; media brands that shift from reference to highly polarized or to conspiracy theories/ fake medical advices/ starlette news, within months; the disappearance of foreign news desks, of cultural news and of local titles; Orthodox media.

• Adoption of innovations by the communication industries (paywalls; data visualization; animation and 3D, on the one hand, native advertising or content marketing, on the other).

• Social representations shaped by the mainstream media and by social media, in the Romanian and Moldavian context, as compared to the rest of the world.

• Public Relations challenges and opportunities unique to the Romania / Moldova context – in terms of topics such as, but not limited to: role of PR in society, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Corporate Social Advocacy (CSA), Corporate Political Activism (CPA), Crisis Communication, Risk Communication, Public Diplomacy, role of PR in the battle against mis/dis-information. 

Only sound, original research articles, that follow the IMRAD model, will be considered for reviewing and publication.

Articles of 5,000-10,000 words in length (including footnotes) should be submitted electronically as a Microsoft Word attachment. Submissions must be prefaced with an abstract of up to 150 words. On a separate sheet of paper please include the name of the author or authors, a short biographical statement of 100 words, postal and e-mail addresses, and a telephone number.

The deadline for submission is March 1, 2021.

Submissions are considered for publication on the understanding that the article is not under consideration by another printed or electronic journal. Authors agree not to submit articles for consideration by another printed or electronic journal without prior agreement with the editors of Journal of Romanian Studies.

Manuscript should be submitted electronically to the quest editors.

Please contact the journal editor, Peter Gross (pgross@utk.edu) if you have questions.